Shadow Sapphire
by Sanraita
Summary: DELOS MAGGIE FANFIC! Everyone wonders what happened after Delos finished Hunter. Did Maggie stay human? Did they join Circle Daybreak? What about Aradia, Jeanne, and Miles? here's what I think happens. Pretty much just a continuation of the original st
1. Chapter 1

Sooo. I can't believe I'm actually going to write this, my two fanfic reader friends will laugh their heads off at me, but….yup, I'm going to admit I have no clue what I'm doing and I'm winging it. Like I've been doing frequently lately. And I can't resist, I love Delos too darn much.

**NOtalka: His hair is **_**black!**_** Don't deny it! Everyone else, don't ask, it's just plain sad. My friendy here thinks Delos is blond. No offence to anyone else who thinks like her..**

**Anyway, this is obviously a Black Dawn fanfic, with Maggie and Delos starring, of course. Delos..*sigh* Okay, story, right!**

**Oh, yeah, this takes place right after the end of Black Dawn. And I mean **_**right **_**after it.**

Chapter One of Shadow SapphireMaggie POV

So everyone made their way up to the castle, as Delos had invited. Jeanne and Miles walked with Delos and I, and we were getting a lot of awed looks from the slaves. I guess it was pretty cool to have witnessed Delos blast Hunter Redfern to pieces, and then get invited inside for supper when they had all thought Delos to be cold-hearted and merciless. So not true. I should know, I've seen his mind and soul. Delos reached over and took my hand, giving it a small squeeze. Then I realized something.

"Who's going to cook?" I asked.

"No one. Supper is always prepared quite early, because if it's late, the slaves knew they'd be punished. It was already made today." Delos told me, using the past tense, which made me smile. He really had changed.

"Well, that's convenient." I muttered, before Miles spoke up.

"So, what now? Are we going to go save the world with Delos's blue fire, or what?" he asked brightly.

"I don't know, Miles. What I do know is that I don't want to think about it. There's too many possibilities." I rubbed my forehead.

"Are there really that many, Maggie? I see only one." Delos stared straight ahead.

"And what would that be, oh mighty Prince Know-it-all?" Jeanne quipped.

My eyebrows shot up. I couldn't help it. I didn't know many people who had the guts to insult Delos. I was almost scared to see what he'd do. I thought he was going to let it drop, but then he turned to Jeanne. If looks could kill, that particular look would have wiped out armies. Then he said, "I'm not a know-it-all, but I know enough to understand that it's pointless to respond to that, because you're just not worth it."

I grinned to myself. I knew he had better comebacks on his lips than that, but he didn't want to offend Jeanne because she was my friend. He could certainly be gentlemanly when he wanted to be.

"So what's your idea?" I asked.

"Why don't we wait until we're inside?" Delos said it as a statement, not a question. Not surprising.

I nodded and followed Delos into the castle, joining the general herd of former slaves as we all followed the notorious-bad-guy-turned-good-guy who happened to be my soulmate. He led us through many corridors until finally he stopped and opened a huge, carved wooden door to reveal a gigantic room, with a long table in the middle. Delos continued inside, and everyone took this as their cue to sit down. The food was brought out by the people who had worked in the kitchen and knew their way around there, and everyone helped themselves to the mashed potatoes and roast beef. We ate and talked and laughed, and then we were done and the slaves were leaving to go to their huts outside. Jeanne got up to leave, and I frowned. It didn't seem right to make her sleep outside after all she'd done for us. "Delos, is there a room Jeanne can sleep in?"

"Yes, of course. Miles, too. Come with me, I'll show you," he got up and took us back out into the hall. A few turns and multiple stair cases later, we reached a long hall that seemed to be a bunch of rooms. Delos gestured to two rooms, and told Jeanne and Miles, "Those two there. They were always empty, no one used them."

Jeanne and Miles thanked him and went off into their rooms. It was actually pretty late. Hunter had apparently preferred hunting in the evening. Then Delos turned to me and asked, "Are you tired?"

I sighed and pushed my hair out of my face. "Yeah, I am." I admitted.

"Do you want to sleep in my room? There is another empty room," Delos said, not hinting at what he wanted.

Damn him. He never thought about himself, only about me. And besides, why the heck would I want my own room? He was my _soulmate_, for God's sake. I put my hands on my hips and looked him in the eye. "For heaven's sake, you're going to spoil me. And I don't want to leave you. You're room's fine. Unless you don't want me around?" I raised an eyebrow and pretended to look hurt, knowing full well that I wasn't fooling him. Delos could read people better than anyone else I had ever met.

"Maggie. Of course I want you around. I love you," he said.

"I know." I said. Delos took my hand, and we walked slowly to his room, not in any hurry.

He opened the door, and I was struck again by the size of the bed. I mean, really. Who needs a bed that big? Then we walked inside, and I realized that I didn't have any other clothes than what I was wearing. Great. Sleeping in scratchy burlap was going to not going to be fun. Delos seemed to notice this at the same time I did, and said, "I'm sure we can find something that will fit you."

He tightened his grip on my hand and pulled me back out the door. Soon I was standing in a large, decorated room, looking around and trying to figure out who in the heck had lived here. Finally I gave up and asked. "Who's room is this?"

Delos's expression hardened, and I wondered briefly if I shouldn't have asked, but then he said flatly, "My parents'."

"Oh. Delos, I didn't mean"-

He cut me off. "I don't care, Maggie. I really wasn't that sad when my father died, and I never knew my mother. I just never bothered to clean out their room. Mother's clothes are still in the closet, which is why we're here."

It always seemed so weird to hear Delos talk about his parents. It just seemed like he did fine on his own, like he didn't need them. Delos broke me out of my thoughts by tugging me over to the closet. He opened the door, revealing a whole _lot_ of clothes. Some men's, but mostly women's.

"I'll leave you to it. I have something else I should probably go do." Delos kissed me quickly before walking out of the room.

I sighed. My life seemed so incredibly crazy sometimes. Actually, it didn't just ­_seem _incredibly crazy. It _was _incredibly crazy. I turned back to the closet, and began rifling gently through the old dresses. I found the nightgowns, and then an absolutely gorgeous velvet one. It was a very dark green, and would probably go to my ankles. It had short sleeves and a low neckline. In truth, _all _the nightgowns had low necklines. I gingerly eased it off the hanger, feeling like I was going through someone's very personal belongings. But Delos made it clear that he really didn't care at all, so I squashed the feeling and brought it out of the closet. I figured Delos wouldn't be back anytime too soon, so I gratefully took off the itchy burlap clothing and pulled the nightgown down over my head. It fit like it was made for me. There was a mirror on the wall, so I strode over and examined myself. I was shocked for a moment. I didn't look like myself at all. My auburn hair was longer and wilder, but pretty. My face looked less like a kid now, which made sense, considering what I'd been through. And the dress fit me snugly, so it showed off my hips and….well…chest. I almost laughed. I had gone from being dressed like some dirty slave, probably looking about five years younger, to being dressed like a princess or something, and looking about five years older.

I turned, taking a step towards the door, when I heard Delos's voice. "Maggie? Can I come in?"

At least he had the sense not to come barging in like someone else I know. Not mentioning any names. Miles. I didn't answer, just strode over to the door and opened it to face Delos. I smiled at his expression. Shocked but pleased. Like someone had just given him an unexpected present. Which wasn't far off, I suppose. Then he shook his head and reached for my hand again.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked suspiciously.

"That I am worried about how many other men I'm going to have to fight off." Delos grinned, unusual for him.

I laughed, and then said, "No need to worry. We'll be in the same position there. I'll be fending off girls everywhere we go."

He rolled his eyes, and then we came to his room again. And I realized something.

"You never told us your idea!" I cried.

"I guess I didn't, did I? Oh, well, I wanted to talk to you about it without the others. But let me get changed first," Delos said, letting go of my hand and grabbing a loose pair of pants and a shirt, and then going into the bathroom.

I turned off the light, knowing he could see just fine in the dark, being a vampire. Then I settled down in the big white bed, putting my head on a pillow and turning onto my side. Delos came out of the bathroom, and climbed into the bed beside me. His black hair fell across his forehead and into his eyes, so I lifted a hand and brushed it away. Much better. His yellow eyes were smoldering, and he caught my hand and held it. I was fighting the urge to just abandon any conversation about the future and lean over and kiss him, but I didn't. I could see him fighting the same urge. Then he seemed to give up, and he moved over and pressed his lips to my forehead. I frowned, that's not what I wanted. So as he started to pull away, I turned my face upward, my lips catching his. Delos seemed slightly surprised, but he responded, his warm lips moving softly against mine. I slowly reached up with one hand, touching his cheek. My other hand went to the back of his neck, keeping his face locked to mine. His arms were around my waist, and then he raised one hand to rest on my face, his thumb caressing my cheek. Eventually I ran out of air, and reluctantly pulled away, putting my head on his chest. I was panting, and his breathing was uneven and quick. Delos shifted onto his back, so I could more comfortably rest my head on his chest, his arms still holding my body close to him. The hand I had on his face came back down to lay beside my face on his chest. Neither of us said anything, until my curiosity got the better of me.

"So what's your idea?" I whispered.

"Which one, the one that no one could ever love some one as much as I love you, or the other one, that I'm not going to let another male near you?" he murmured, his lips twitching.

"Funny. I mean the other _other _one. About what we do now."

"Oh, that one. Well, have you ever heard of Circle Daybreak?" Delos asked me.

Yay! One chapter finished! I should tell you something. These chapters are going to be kinda short, in the five page region, so that there can be more of them and I'll update sooner. Which you want, because I'm notorious for not updating.

**Anyway, this is the first chapter, and I have no clue what I did right or wrong. I don't know if I got Delos right. Please tell me, and criticism is welcome!**

**I'd love a couple reviews! *Wiggles eyebrows and gives readers a crazy grin* **

**Over and out,**

***SanraitaFang***


	2. Chapter 2

**Second Chapter! Woot! I don't have much of anything to say…so here we go!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, unfortunately. If I owned Delos, I would be driving him nuts right now, and Maggie would be deciding wether to bash my head in with a board or hammer or both. Miles would be laughing his head off. **

Shadow Sapphire Chapter Two

"Circle Daybreak?" I asked, the two words meaning absolutely nothing to me.

"I'll take that as a no. Circle Daybreak is a group of Night People that want the humans and Night People to live in peace. Well, actually, it's not as goody-goody as it sounds. Most of the Night People there have human soulmates, so they definitely want to protect the human race from the end of the world that has been prophesied. There's a few people that have even gone from absolutely hating humans to falling in love with one. It's not a huge organization, because most people are too scared to join. Joining means breaking both laws of the Night World, which is punishable by death." Delos explained.

"Ah. What are these two laws?" I asked.

"One, humans must never find out about the Night World. Two, we must never fall in love with a human. I've broken both already, so there's no more danger to either of us than there already is." Delos sighed.

"Where is Circle Daybreak?"

"That's a very good question. Last time I checked, they were in Montana. But they are very likely to have moved by now, with the whole Night World after them. They're our only chance of survival, though, so we're going to have to find them, somehow." Delos looked at the ceiling.

"I think it's a good idea. When do you think we should leave?" I wondered.

Delos raised his hand and smoothed my hair off my forehead. "I don't know exactly. Not right away, we need to get things settled a bit here, figure out what to do with everyone else. But not too late, either. Some nobles got away, and they're undoubtedly running straight to the Night World authorities to tell them about us."

"Okay." I murmured, closing my eyes.

"Goodnight, Maggie." Delos whispered.

I lifted my head and body and dragged myself off him, laying down again on my stomach, right beside him, my hip touching his leg. "Goodnight, Delos."

I laid there for a moment, thinking about how incredibly lucky I was to be soulmates with Delos. And I fell asleep thinking happy thoughts about being with him for the rest of my life, eventually becoming a vampire so I would be immortal and could be with him forever.

"Maggie, wake up, love. It's the morning. Time to get up." I heard a voice saying beside me, along with a hand very gently shaking my shoulder.

No, not just a voice. A very, very, familiar voice. Delos. I cracked open one eye to see that I was right. Delos was leaning over me, already dressed and ready for the day. How unlike me. I squeezed my eyes shut for a second, then opened them.

"Good morning." Delos said.

"'Morning." I croaked.

"I take it you're not an early riser." Delos grinned.

"Not at all. I can't believe you're already up. What time is it?" I asked groggily.

"8 o' clock." Delos told me.

"Okay, okay, I'll get up. What time did _you_ get up?" I asked.

"6:30." He said shortly.

"What? Jeez." I shook my head.

"I brought you some of my mother's clothes." Delos informed me.

"Okay." Then I saw what he brought. "A dress. Wonderful."

"Is there something wrong with that?" Delos asked worriedly.

"No! I'm not used to wearing a dress. Just watch me, I'll trip over a hundred times today." I smiled.

"I'll catch you, don't worry." He kissed my forehead and then left the room to let me get dressed.

I crawled out of the bed and walked slowly over to the chair, where the dress was lying. I sighed. I would just be itching to be out of it by the end of the day, I guarantee it. It was actually very pretty, though. Delos chose well. I suppose he would, he knows what I like, after seeing my mind.

It was a beautiful dark blue, with a satiny texture. Long sleeves that became wide and would hang off my wrists at the end. The skirt was floor length and would fit against my legs. Then I unhappily noted how low the neck was. Suck it up, I told myself. I had noticed how every single dress that I'd seen a woman wear here, and the dressed in Delos's mother's closet, were all quite low. Maybe that was the style in the 16th century.

I took my nightgown off and slid the dress on. It fit really well. I strode over to the mirror to inspect myself, and was pleased with my reflection. I looked good, better than last night. My hair was really wild, though. I decided that had to be remedied. After all, we just finished off Hunter and saved ourselves and all the slaves. We needed to look nice today, there would probably be some kind of celebration, right?

I looked around the room, and then decided that Delos probably had a brush in his bathroom. As I walked over there, something fell and hit the floor. I turned around, and I caught sight of a necklace lying on the ground. It must have been caught in the folds of the dress, Delos must have brought it. So I bent and picked it up, fingering the delicate gold chain and marvelling at the beautiful pendant. It was a dark red stone, probably a garnet, and it was really very pretty. I undid the clasp and fastened it around my neck, then continued on my way to the bathroom. I was right, a small comb sat on the counter. Good enough.

After a long while of combing the many knots in my hair, I was satisfied that it looked good enough, and I opened the bedroom door, only to find Delos coming down the hall. He must have been coming to find me. I smiled at him, and his face softened. He pulled me towards him, catching me in a small kiss before letting me go, just keeping hold of my hand. Delos led me down a few hallways, and then I looked more closely at what he was wearing. I had no names for the old-fashioned clothing, but I can say that it looked damn good on him, and it was sort of fancy. Okay…explanation required.

"What are we doing today?" I asked casually.

"Nothing much. Aradia is going to leave and go back to the witches. Other than that, I have no idea." He said as evenly as I had.

I rolled my eyes to myself. I didn't have a chance in hell at beating him at this game, so I abandoned it and went for the blunt approach.

"What are you keeping from me?" I planted myself in front of him, blocking him from walking farther.

Delos stopped and raised an eyebrow at me. "What do you mean? What makes you think I'm keeping something from you?"

He said it coolly, giving me absolutely no emotion to work with.

"You're so difficult!" I groaned. "I know you're not telling me something. Now what is it?"

"Fine, then. You'll have to wait and see." Delos stepped around me and continued pulling me after him.

"Will you at least tell me where we're going?"

"No."

I made an exasperated sound, and he grinned. "All right, we're going to the ballroom."

"Pardon? Why are we going there?" I heard a small note of panic in my voice. I played soccer. I did _not _dance.

"As I said, you'll have to wait and see." Delos told me.

I sighed but didn't press him further. I knew when he was determined, and he was determined not to tell me anything else. But then I got an idea. Force obviously wouldn't work. Anger wouldn't work. I was not going to throw a tantrum. What about….persuasion? I stopped walking, forcing him to either stop or pull my arm out of my socket. He chose the first option. I stepped closer to him, and then almost ruined everything by laughing at his suspicious and confused expression. Then I leaned closer and kissed him, right on the mouth. He kissed me back, and I put my hands on his shoulders. Then he pulled away from me and started walking again. "That's not going to work. There's still not a chance that I'll tell you."

"Oh, come on. That was my last card to play." I groaned.

"Exactly."

We didn't talk the rest of the way. Delos left me to stew in my curiosity. Agh. Then he finally stopped in front of two ornately carved double doors. The ballroom. He turned to me and asked, "Ready?"

"I suppose so. Not that I know what I'm ready _for_."

Delos just pushed open the door, pulling me inside. And I stopped dead. The room was beautiful. Hardwood floor, tapestries all over. Decorated in an old-fashioned way. Then I saw the amount of people inside, and gasped. Everyone was here. Miles, Jeanne, Aradia, everyone. And then Miles stepped forward and hugged me, whispering in my ear, "Happy seventeenth birthday, Maggie."

Birthday? Wait a minute what was the date? Was it really my birthday? I was seventeen?

"What's the date?" I floundered.

"October 17th." Delos said, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist.

"Really? When did you do all this?" I stared, awestruck, around the beautifully decorated room.

"I got up at 6:30, Maggie. Did you expect that I just wandered around until you woke up? I would have stayed with you if I wasn't doing this." Delos told me.

"Wow. Thank you." I said to everyone.

"She's thanking us, when she just saved us all yesterday?" Old Mender gave an exasperated eye roll.

Then Delos gave a nod to someone, and the lights turned off. Music started playing, but it was nothing I recognized, of course. I wasn't alive when that was composed. Delos released my waist and settled for my hand. Then I realized what he was going to do.

"No, Delos! I can't dance! I haven't the slightest clue how!" I said wildly.

"Calm down, Maggie. Maybe you haven't before, but I have. And it's not hard. You'll pick up on it quickly." Delos soothed me, tugging me farther out onto the dance floor.

"I'm not so sure about that." I muttered.

But I followed him, incredibly glad that other people were dancing. It wasn't just me and him with everyone staring, like they did it in the movies. Delos turned to me, putting a hand on my hip. I put the hand that he wasn't holding on his shoulder, hoping to God that was what I was supposed to do. Then I saw in the corner of my eye that Miles was leading Jeanne out to dance. That was good. I knew they liked each other. But I didn't get to think on it long, because Delos was moving. I scrambled to try and remember what little I knew about ballroom dancing. I was amazed at the small amount of work I had to do. It was quite easy to just follow what Delos was doing. Then I started laughing. Why had I been so distressed about this? It was easy! Delos smiled, and said, "I told you it wasn't hard."

"You were right." I laughed.

Delos spun me around then, and I giggled. This was actually pretty fun. The skirt of my dress twirled with me, creating a neat effect.

Random Onlooker's POV

I was watching Prince Delos and the Deliverer. Maggie, was it? I thought so. For the first time that I had ever seen, there was happiness on the prince's face. He looked even handsomer than usual, his smile being so rare. Maggie was having a good effect on him. I was still wary of him, of course. Though I did have quite a bit of respect. He had killed his great grandfather just to save the girl. Maggie was beautiful. Her brownish-red hair was sleek and slightly wavy. It fell around her shoulders and rippled when she moved. Her dress made her look so gorgeous, and I could see she was very happy, too. She was laughing, and Prince Delos was smiling. Then he twirled her, and I marvelled at the skill in which he led her. She turned effortlessly, and I was shocked. She danced better than we did, and we had done it before. All in all, what I was seeing was a very handsome man and his very beautiful wife having fun with a very elegant dance.

Maggie POV

I ended the turn and gave a Delos a huge grin. Then he started doing other different moves, and it wasn't as easy as before. Then the song clearly began building up for a big finish. It was getting faster and faster, meaning Delos was leading me faster and faster. He spun me in a series of turns, and then the hand he had on my hip shifted to my back and he let me fall down close to the floor before he caught me. My head was hanging backwards, my face to the ceiling. Just as he caught me, the music came to a dramatic end. I smiled up at Delos, and then I realized that his arms must be breaking. But he was a vampire, I suppose…. His lips curved up, and then he leaned forward and kissed me. Right in front of everyone. If it wasn't clear that we were together before, it sure was now. Then he took my hand and pulled me back onto my feet. I leaned my head on his chest, my arms resting on his shoulders. He put his arms around my waist, holding me up.

"That was fun." I whispered.

"I thought so, too." He murmured.

"But tiring. Sheesh, if it was tiring for me, I can't imagine what you must be feeling." I said.

"I'm a vampire. Remember that. Though I don't think you're likely to forget." Delos muttered.

"Hey, Maggie! Come dance with me!" Miles called.

I smiled at him, and let go of Delos. "Do you mind?" I asked.

"Of course not, Maggie. Go." Delos encouraged, giving me a small push in Miles' direction.

I walked over to Miles, and he took my hand and started dancing with me. "How ya doing, birthday girl?"

"I'm good. Thanks for all this." I nodded around the room.

"No problem."

"So, you like Jeanne, huh?" I smirked.

Miles turned pink and looked down at me. "Got a problem with that?" he threatened playfully.

"I think you guys would be good together." I told him.

"I'm glad you think so. Hey, look." Miles cocked his head in the direction where I'd left Delos.

I turned my head and laughed. Delos and Jeanne were dancing. Delos looked like he was determined. Jeanne just looked slightly amazed and a bit embarrassed. Then Delos said something to her, and her body relaxed and her face visibly cleared. I was glad she didn't hold a grudge against him.

"Where's a camera when you need one?" I laughed.

"Not here, that's for sure." Miles chuckled.

"No kidding. We should take Delos into a city. He'd be so lost." I shook my head.

The song ended, and I went back to Delos. "Are you hungry? There's some food over there." Delos told me.

I was about to say I was fine, but my stomach betrayed me by growling softly. A normal person wouldn't have heard it, other than me, but Delos wasn't human, and I knew he heard it easily.

"Come on." Delos ordered, bringing me towards a table I hadn't noticed before. There was all sorts of food all over the table, and I took a bit of everything. I noticed that Delos didn't take anything, and I frowned.

"Delos! When was the last time you hunted? You must be thirsty." I cried.

"Not unbearably." The look on his face told me that he didn't want to have this conversation, but I could also tell I was right, so I was not giving up.

"But you are. As soon as this is over, you're going out hunting. You have no choice in the matter." I scolded.

"Calm down. I'll go hunting when I need to."

I turned my eyes to the heavens, but I said nothing more.

For two more hours we danced and talked to the other former-slaves that I hadn't met yet. And finally the party ended and Delos and I left the room.

"What now?" I asked.

"Whatever you want." Delos said, staring into my eyes.

"Helpful." I muttered. "I have no idea what's in this castle. I spent only one day in here before, and that was in the dungeon." I gave him a look.

He winced and said, "I am sorry about that."

"I don't blame you. I was ready to knock your head off when you weren't seeing what I wanted you to see." I grinned.

"Have you ridden a horse before?" Delos asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, I used to take lessons when I was younger. Is there one I can ride?" I asked him.

Delos snorted. "Of course there is. There's every kind of horse imaginable in that stable. I used to spend a lot of time in there. It was the one place I could escape from my father. Let's go."

And that was how I found myself sitting on a gorgeous dark grey mare called Tesket. I had been worried that I would forget everything I had learned back home, but it came back to me surprisingly well. But I would never compare to how good a rider Delos was. He sat straight and easy on his dark stallion, holding the reins and talking to me while he skilfully steered the horse around trees.

"He's so pretty. What's his name?" I asked, watching the horse's sleek coat shine in the sun.

"Jasper. He may be pretty, but he loves to misbehave." Delos said, rubbing Jasper's neck.

Delos led Tesket and I up a hill that overlooked the entire forest. It was a beautiful sight.

"Do you know how to canter?" he asked.

I nodded. Delos urged Jasper into a smooth canter, and I rode along beside him. I loved cantering, and Tesket had nice gait. It was smooth and fast. We rode for a long while, but it only felt like minutes to me when Delos settled back into a walk and took us on a narrow trail through the trees that emerged at a small stream. We dismounted and let the horses drink from the stream. I flopped down on the grass. Delos sat beside me, and we stayed there and talked for probably more than two hours. Then we got up and went riding for another long time. We were still out when it started to get dark. Then we decided we should get back before everyone else thought we'd gone off and died or something.

I reached up to take Tesket's saddle off back at the stable, but two arms beat me there. Delos.

"I can lift a saddle, you know." I grumbled, feeling useless.

"So can I. Much easier than you can." Delos answered. "Come on, let's get back to the castle."

We walked back, our arms swinging between us. Delos explained about Circle Daybreak over dinner. Jeanne and Miles thought it was an excellent idea. They would have to come, too, because Jeanne was human and knew all about the Night World, and apparently Sylvia had broken the law by making Miles a shapeshifter. They would both be killed if they were caught.

And then Delos and I were walking down the hallway towards our room. Yes, _our _room. I was forcing myself to think of it as being ours, not his.

"This day went fast." I sighed.

"That's what happens when you're having fun the whole day." Delos said.

"I guess so." I agreed.

This time we ignored the bathroom and changed with our backs to each other. It was easier. I heard Delos fall into the bed, and when I turned he still had his back to me like any decent person would. I clambered into the bed beside him, and he rolled over to face me. Then I realized something.

"You didn't hunt today!" I exclaimed angrily.

"No, I suppose I didn't. I don't need to, I'm fine." He said stubbornly.

"Fine." I gave in.

Then I leaned over, my hand reaching for his as he reached for mine. When our skin touched, I found myself in Delos's mind again. It was different this time. The icicles were gone. That was good.

_It's because of you. _Delos thought at me.

_It's not just me. You did this, you changed. _

I started looking through his thoughts, trying to find out if he'd been lying to me when he said that he wasn't thirsty. Then I found it. He _was _lying. He was really, really thirsty, and he still wouldn't tell me.

_DELOS! _I thought/shrieked.

_It's not that bad. _

_Delos, I'm in your mind, and you're lying! You are thirsty! _I exclaimed.

Then I shot myself out of his mind. It was almost painful, the sudden separation. I ignored it and sat up, then scooted over closer to Delos. Then I laid back and tilted my chin back. I grabbed Delos's face and pulled his mouth towards my neck.

"Maggie, what are you doing?" There was a note of distress in his voice.

Good. He could see my pulse and smell my blood. It wouldn't be long before he cracked. I wasn't afraid like you'd think I'd be, when I was inviting him to bite me so he could satisfy his thirst. I knew it wouldn't kill me.

"What does it look like I'm doing? You're incredibly thirsty, I'm full of blood. Come on, Delos." I pulled his head closer to my throat until his mouth was gently touching it. Right over where my pulse was.

"No, Maggie.." he whispered.

"I'm not scared, Delos. It's not like it'll kill me. I'll be fine." I coaxed him.

"No…" I could see him fighting an incredible internal battle. Every sense and fiber in his body was screaming at him to bite me. But his mind said otherwise. I knew I was going to win, but it would take a while, so I decided to speed up the process. I bit my lip, _hard_. Blood oozed out, and Delos stiffened. He didn't have a chance now that blood was running. I lifted my hand and ran a finger across my bloody lip, then wiped it on my throat, beside his mouth. Delos was trembling, his shoulders shaking with the effort of not biting me. Then I visibly saw his instincts win out over his mind. He stopped trembling, and he shifted onto his stomach beside me. He put an arm across my waist, but it wasn't restraining, it was comforting. His other hand came up to hold my head. Then I felt the double sting of fangs embedding themselves in my flesh. Then I felt blood running out and into his mouth. I relaxed now that I had won. He drank for twenty minutes, and then he finally managed to pull himself away, wiping his mouth. He sat up beside me, and then gave me a death glare.

"What?" I asked.

"That was not right. I shouldn't be treating you like prey. You're my _soulmate_, not a food source! There was absolutely no reason for you to do that." He said icily.

"Oh, please. It didn't hurt me, and I don't mind. It's better for you to be fed than starving." I argued.

He groaned, and put his arm back over my waist, and laid his head on his pillow.

"Don't be mad at me, Delos." I pleaded.

Delos lifted his head to say, "I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at myself. I'm mad at what I _am_. I wish I were human."

"That wouldn't help anything." I told him.

He grunted in what I took to be reluctant agreement. Then I fell asleep.

Two chapters! Wow, this one was long compared to the first one. And I realize a mistake I made. They don't have bathrooms there, they have chamber pots. How could I forget faithful ol' Chamber Pot Emptier? But pretend for the sake of the story.

**Thank you to wolfgrl101 and NOtalka for reviewing!**

***SanraitaFang***


	3. Chapter 3

Oh My God. I'm actually writing my fanfics again! That's your cue to start cheering. Lol.

**Anybody else being forced into swimming lessons this summer? I'm in the last freaking level, at least, but that means we have to learn 'rescue breathing'. My group has four kids. Me and three boys. Two of them are friends, so they do rescue breathing together. That leaves me and the other boy, a boy IN MY CLASS. And I'm a girl. He has to find my heartbeat, which means him touching my chest, oh joy. And then his lips are about an inch or two from mine when he's faking blowing air into me. Damn good thing we don't have to do it for real. I would freak out. Yup, that's me, freak out Sanraita. And my freak outs are violent.**

**So anyway, on with the story. Delos…*sighs***

**I make **_**myself **_**smile at my idiocy. Idiocy, not idiocity, NOtalka and MaximumTwilightRider. What idiots. Lol, okay, okay…**

Shadow Sapphire Chapter Three

The next morning, Delos had gently shaken me awake and then told me the news. And what news it was.

The slaves, all of them, had had a meeting among themselves and decided that they didn't want to get mixed up in Circle Daybreak. They just wanted to go back into the world they remembered before they got caught. Find their families. Live a normal life. Forget the existence of vampires and shapeshifters and witches and werewolves. They decided they would leave, all of them together, and go to the nearest city to find their families.

When Delos told me this, I felt a pang of longing for m**y **parents. Did they think I was dead? What about all my friends? Had they had a funeral or something? I also missed the familiar smell of home, of my dog and my room. Stop it! I furiously told myself. Your home is here with Delos. It's not like you would do much differently if you were given a second chance. You would come here and find Delos. Delos looked at me.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing." I lied.

His eyes narrowed, and he said softly, "Why won't you tell me?"

I bit my lip. "I was just thinking about my parents. I was wondering if they thought I was dead or what. I guess I miss them. It's not like I want to go back, though."

Delos was silent for a moment. Then he told me slowly, "You know, you could go back for a visit. Miles and you both. And me, because you're not going anywhere without me."

I glanced at him in surprise. "But what would I tell them? 'Hi, Mom and Dad. Yeah, it's Miles and me, your two dead kids. No, we're not dead, actually. We just got caught by vampires, like this guy here. He's my soul mate, but that's against Night World law, so we're running to a group called Circle Daybreak so we won't get executed.' Yeah, they'll take that well."

"Good point." Delos allowed. "But what if we didn't tell them that you two are alive?"

I stared at him. "What?"

"What if we dressed you up like spirits or ghosts, and you talk to them like that? Then you don't have to tell them all the details about vampires and the Night World. They don't even have to see me. You could just say that you're there to tell them not to worry about you, that you're okay. And that wouldn't even be lying." Delos suggested.

My mouth dropped open. Then I threw myself at him, locking my arms around his neck with my face pressed into his chest. He caught me in surprise, holding me gently.

"You're a genius! Oh, Delos, I love you!" I cried excitedly.

"I love you, too, Maggie. By your reaction, I take it that you like this idea?"

"Yes! We've got to find Miles!" I said happily, not even bothering to change out of my nightgown before racing out the door.

Delos kept pace with me easily, his longer stride taking him farther, not to mention his being a vampire. "He'll be in the kitchen getting breakfast, I'm sure."

I nodded and then ran down the steps to the main floor, stopping momentarily, not quite sure which direction the kitchen was. "Damn big castles." I muttered.

Delos laughed and grabbed my hand, leading me at a run through doors and down halls until he pushed open one last door and my gaze fell on Miles. He was leaning against the counter, his arm around Jeanne. They must be together now. With a start, I realized that them loving each other was as illegal as Delos and I. I guess they were coming with us to Circle Daybreak now. I pushed the thought to the back of my mind and focused on my news for Miles.

"Miles! We can go home! We can see Mom and Dad again!" I said, walking over to him.

He paused mid-bite, probably wondering what I was on.

Gently, he said, "Maggie, we can't. We can't go back without explaining how we're alive and about the vam"-

I cut him off. "I know _that_, Miles. But we _can _go back if we dress like ghosts. If we can convince them that we are just spirits visiting, we can talk without really getting onto the subject of our deaths and all that."

He raised an eyebrow. "Since when are you so sneaky?"

I grinned. "_I'm _not sneaky. Delos _is_."

Miles glanced at Delos and said, "Yeah, that explains it. But are you really going to let her go off without you?"

Delos's expression hardened into one I knew well. The stubborn one. The most common one.

"No, I am not. I'm coming with you. Your parents don't have to see me. As long as I'm there to make sure no one kidnaps you or hurts you, I'm satisfied." Delos said firmly.

"Okay, that's all well and fine, but if you haven't noticed, Jeanne and I are together. We have to go to Circle Daybreak with you. Which means that we might as well stop at our parent's house on the way. Which means Jeanne is coming, too." Miles said, making it clear he was set in that decision.

Delos's expression didn't change. "That's fine with me."

"So when are we leaving?" Jeanne asked quietly.

"That depends. Where is the house?" Delos asked, looking between Miles and I.

"Seattle." Miles and I said together.

Then I remembered that Delos had never been out of this valley, and definitely had no clue where Seattle was.

"Seattle's in Washington, which is not far from Montana. There's just a little sliver of Idaho in between the two." I said, desperately thanking my lucky stars that I had paid attention to geography.

Delos gave me a look that said that everything I had just said was pretty much complete nonsense to him.

"Wait a sec. Where the hell are we? Where is this valley?" Miles looked at Delos hopefully.

Delos shrugged. "I don't know."

"Not far from Seattle, because when I woke up in that cart, I hadn't been asleep for long, I don't think." I said.

"We must still be in Washington, then, maybe. Let's hope. Which means it would take us about twelve hours by car to get in the middle of Montana. Where exactly in Montana are we going?" Miles asked.

"Hannibal, I've been told." Delos said shortly.

"Okay. Do you have an inkling where Hannibal is?" Miles turned to me.

"Nope." I said simply.

"Well. Let's just go with fourteen hours, to be safe." Miles suggested.

"Agreed. We should leave as soon as we can get some stuff to make you two look ilke ghosts." Delos said, pulling me out the door.

As soon as we were out of earshot of the kitchen, I asked firmly, "What's bothering you?"

Delos looked at me. "Nothing is bothering me. What gave you that idea?"

I looked into his eyes, and he seemed to be telling the truth. I gave up and focused on looking through the piles of sheets and linen before us. There was white and grey and black, all shapes and sizes and textures. Delos was digging through one pile, so I began sifting through another.

"What exactly do we think we're looking for?" I asked.

"Well, find something that's big enough to be cut into a dress for you. But not something that's obviously a sheet." Delos's face was completely expressionless.

I nodded and concentrated on finding anything big and white. Finally Delos held one up to me, deciding if it would be big enough. He gave a small nod, and then grabbed two more white sheets for whatever he was going to make for Miles. He folded them up into a pile and carried them in one arm while holding my hand in the other as we ran back to the kitchen. When we came in the doors, I said to Jeanne, "Find a pair of scissors."

She gave a nod and rummaged through drawers until she raised a hand above her head with an exclamation of victory. In her hands was a pair of shears. Close enough. Delos took them from her and straightened the sheet so he could make a straight cut. His hand moved blindingly fast, and he had sliced off many pieces before he finally stopped so we could see what he had come up with.

I drew in a sharp breath as I bent over it. Delos had made the perfect outline of a dress, but both front and back joined at the side so that when we sewed both sides together it would have a front and back.

"Wow." Jeanne and I breathed at the same time.

"It's no master piece, but it will hopefully do the job." Delos murmured.

Just then, Old Mender walked in. Jeanne, Miles, and I all looked at her, wondering how she knew we were going to need her. Delos had a ghost of a smile on his lips.

"I can speak mentally, remember?" he reminded us.

"Yes, and I came as quickly as I could, because I was afraid what monstrosity the four of you would create with a thread and needle. I know that neither Maggie or Jeanne sew, and I do not think either of the men would have a clue what to do." Old Mender rolled her eyes and came over to look at the sheet cut-out.

"So what exactly is it you want me to do?" she asked.

"We need you to sew the edges of this together so that I can wear it." I told her.

"And why do you want to wear a dress made out of a _sheet_?" she asked, raising a criticizing eyebrow.

"We need her to look like a ghost or spirit so she can talk to her parents without awkward questions about how her and Miles are alive." Jeanne said bluntly.

Old Mender blinked. "Well, let me see…" she bustled around the table, twisting the sheet around and over and rubbing the fabric, the four of us quickly moving out of her way.

Then she opened a little box and selected a needle and thread. Then she began sewing as if it was second nature to her. Actually, it probably was. When she was finished, she held it up to me and allowed herself a small smile.

"It will fit." She said simply, before setting it down and walking out the door without another word.

Then Jeanne took matters into her hands.

"You two, out. She'll change into it, and I'll decide if she looks like a ghost or not." Jeanne said, giving them both a shove towards the door.

Delos met my eyes, and I could see he didn't want to leave me. Jeanne saw, rolled her eyes, and scoffed, "Oh, please. You can go without her for five, minutes. It's only one wooden door between you. Now _go_."

He gave her an icy look, reminding her what he was and what he could do, then spun and strode out the door after Miles.

"Don't make him mad. Please." I said.

_Too late_. I heard Delos say in my head.

"Too late." Jeanne echoed him cheerfully as I stripped down to my undergarments, Jeanne helping me pull the dress over my head and straighten it.

I stood still, looking down at myself, as she made a slow circle around me, her expression calculating.

"You know, I do believe that your parents are going to think that you had a makeover or something," Jeanne said.

I laughed and told her, "They may have a heart attack. I never wore dresses before."

"I don't doubt it." Jeanne said, before calling to Delos and Miles, "Get back in here."

She had barely finished the first word before Delos was back in the room, holding my hand while looking at the dress. I fidgeted, feeling self-conscious.

_Don't feel self-conscious. You look amazing. _Delos told me.

I was about to tell him that that wasn't going to make me feel any less self-conscious, but then Miles spoke. "Maggie, Mom's going to have a fit. You tried to wear shorts and a t-shirt to the dance, and now you're wearing one willingly."

I frowned and punched his arm, "Shut up. I was about twelve when I did that."

"Still."

So an hour later I found myself standing outside the castle, saying goodbye to everyone. All the former slaves I had met. Aradia, who had stayed another night for reasons I didn't press. PJ ran up to me, and I looked down at her before bending and hugging the life out of her.

"Bye, Maggie." She whispered, her voice thick.

"Bye, PJ. Do you know how to find your family?" I asked, wanting to make sure she wouldn't end up on the streets.

"Oh yes. I know exactly how to find them." PJ said earnestly.

"Okay, then. Bye, honey." I said, straightening and giving everyone one last wave before all four of us turned and walked down the road, going to the pass.

**Muahahaha. Everything maybe peaceful now, but for how long?**

**Lol.**

**I fractured or broke or did something to my ankle. Reviews** **might make it feel better…*wiggles eyebrows***

**SanraitaFang**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm back. Hm. What can I say now…I don't know. Oh, if anyone has any ideas of songs to play at a wedding reception, PLEASE TELL ME! No, **_**I'm **_**not getting married. Wow, that's scary thought. But you don't really don't know how old I am, so…anyway, my sister **_**is **_**getting married. And I've been given the task of finding music and downloading and putting it on our music player device thinger (we're not sure how we're playing the music yet). And I'm going to have an epic fail and be murdered by the family if I don't get my act together and get some ideas. So if you want an alive author that can write more chapters, your best bet is to give me some ideas.**

**Okay, done ranting about weddings. And sister, if you happen to be reading this, I'm happy I got the job. I'm not complaining, don't worry.**

**Okay, **_**now **_**I'm really done.**

Shadow Sapphire Chapter Four

"There it is." Delos pointed to an opening in the trees.

The pass. The way out that so many slaves had tried futilely to find over the years. The one slaves had been killed for even knowing about.

"Guys, how are we getting to Montana?" Jeanne asked suddenly.

"By car…" I began, my eyes widened when I realized the problem with that.

"Where are we getting a car?" Jeanne asked grimly.

"We could just find one and hotwire it." Miles suggested.

"In other words, steal it," I said skeptically.

"Well…yeah." Miles admitted.

"I'm fine with that. If Delos doesn't get to Circle Daybreak, then all the humans are going to be killed anyway, right? I think one can live with his car being stolen if it means the world gets to live." Jeanne put in.

"That's one way of thinking of it. Yeah, I guess I don't really mind." I agreed.

"Can one of you actually drive a car?" Delos spoke up.

I looked at Miles. "You're driving. I drive, and we crash. Jeanne drives, we crash." I shot her a smile. "And if Delos drives…"

"It can't be that hard." Delos protested.

"You don't even know what a car _is_." I told him.

"And your point would be…"

I rolled my eyes at him and said firmly, "Miles is driving. Besides, we're going to have to stop at fast food joints. It's better if the female worker _isn't _distracted with staring at you to make our food properly."

He scoffed but said nothing more. Then we reached the pass. It was actually a space between two boulders, a very _small _space. Miles ended up just shifting and flying over. Delos easily climbed over the boulders, and when he reached the top he reached a hand down for me. I gratefully took it and he lifted me up beside him like I weighed two pounds. Jeanne looked up at us, then at the smooth surface of the rock and shook her head.

"I'll do it my way." She said, turning sideways and managing to squeeze through to the other side.

I laughed and jumped down beside her, Delos landing soundlessly beside me like a cat. A black hunting cat. Miles gave a screech in his falcon form, turning a few spirals and rolls and swoops before finally going into a nosedive back to the ground. He shifted back to human form and took Jeanne's hand. Then we looked around us, wondering which direction to go in now.

"Did you see anything while you were up there, or were you to busy fooling around?" Delos asked Miles haughtily.

"No, actually, I did see something." I thought Miles was going to make a joke about seeing trees or something, but he gave a half-decent answer. "I saw what looked like a town over that way."

Miles gestured to our right, so we nodded and kept walking. Miles shifted back into a falcon and soared back into the sky to lead us in the right direction. I looked around our surroundings, and discovered that we were in what looked like a prairie. A prairie near the coast of the USA? Maybe we weren't quite where we thought we were…Fortunately, the town was near enough, so we came across it soon enough. I searched for a sign telling us what town it was, but when I found one it was too far away for me to read.

"Yakima." Delos said to Jeanne and I, and Miles shrieked agreement from the sky.

"Yakima! We're still in Washington! About middle of the state, I think." I said excitedly, recognizing the name. **(A/N yes, it is a real town/city.)**

"I'll take your word for it." Delos muttered to me.

I smiled and said, "I know what I'm talking about. I hope."

Miles flew down to us and shifted to human behind a sign so no one inside the town would notice him. Although it was kinds weird, seeing a falcon dive behind a sign and then a teenage boy walk out five seconds later smiling. Not very inconspicuous. He walked over to us and we went into the town together, looking around for signs of people or a car we could take or something else we might need.

"We should get a map." I realized suddenly.

"Obviously, Mag." Miles rolled his eyes.

"Well, no one said anything about one before. I'm just reminding you. Look, there's a gas station right there, they'll have maps." I pointed, and we set off in that direction.

I glanced up at Delos. His face was expressionless as always, but his eyes were flickering like crazy over everything around us. He was like a cat dropped in an ocean. He didn't know what to do with himself and he didn't recognize anything. He was drowning in new discoveries. I gripped his hand tighter. Delos felt it and returned my squeeze.

_This is what the rest of the world looks like. _I thought at him, knowing he'd pick up on it.

_I see. _Delos managed.

Then an eighteen-wheeler semi roared past us. We were on the sidewalk, it was on the road, and Delos still went rigid and stared at with unreadable eyes as it blew past.

"What was that?" he asked tightly and quietly.

I knew he hated asking. It was a blow to his pride. I understood, so I answered as quietly as he had.

"They're called semis. They carry supplies, cargo to plants and factories or stores or wherever. There's a driver in the cab part that steers it and makes it go at whatever speed they want. You do _not _want to get hit by one. I mean, at least a human doesn't." I explained softly.

_What's making it run? Not horses, obviously. _Now I could hear genuine curiosity and thirst for knowledge in his voice.

_You remind me of Miles. He's always asking how things work. And I don't really know exactly how it works, but under that front part, the hood, there's an engine. The driver pushes the gas pedal up or down, and that controls how much gasoline goes to the engine. The more gasoline in the engine, the faster it goes. They can slow down by raising the pedal, so they're sending less to the engine, so it goes slower. _I thought.

I get it. So eventually you run out of gas. Then you go to a… 'gas station'?

I was stunned for a moment. If I was in his place, there would be no way in hell I would have thought of that without someone explaining.

_You remind me of Miles, but you're a lot smarter than he is. _I grinned as I thought it. _Yeah, you're right. At the gas station you pump more gas into the tank, and you're on your way again. You know if you need to stop and get more because there's a gas gauge that beeps when you're getting low. _

_How does it know when you're getting low? _Now he was really curious.

But I didn't really know the answer to his question. _I don't know. It just does. Somehow. Ask Miles. I bet he knows._

I said it, but I doubted he actually would.

"Hurry up, you two." Jeanne called back at us.

I glanced up at her. Sure enough, her and Miles were waiting at the door, way ahead of us. Delos started walking faster, and, his stride being much longer than mine, I pretty much had to jog to keep up. Jeanne and Miles went inside and we followed. Miles cheerfully took Jeanne's hand and walked to the counter, where all the maps were on a shelf. The clerk was giving us a weird look, and then I realized that we were dressed like people from the 1400s.

"Costume party." I said quickly.

His brow cleared and he nodded. Miles picked a map up and apparently decided it would do, because he handed it to the clerk and he rang it up before handing it back and giving Miles his change.

Delos raised an eyebrow. _Explain._

Um. Okay, Miles gave him a five dollar bill, which is way more than the cost of the map. The cashier put the barcode of the map into the little machine, and the machine tells him how much change to give for a five.

_Ah. _

Then Miles turned and we walked back out of the store.

"So where are we stealing a car from?" Jeanne asked, looking at me.

I turned to Miles, who turned to Delos. "Can you influence the humans to just _give _us a car?"

Delos nodded. "Shouldn't be too hard."

"Look, let's go over to that mall. There's bound to be people driving in and out that we can stop." I suggested.

Miles agreed, and then we took off towards the mall I had pointed to. For five minutes we prowled around the parking lot, feeling like criminals. Well, I should say _Delos _prowled. Miles, Jeanne, and I tried to look remotely as expressionless and carefree as him, but we didn't succeed. We looked like criminal wannabes. _He _looked like a panther in human form.

"That one!" Miles hissed.

We looked where he was gesturing, and Delos set off to 'convince' the owners that they didn't need their car anymore. Thankfully it was a middle-aged man, with no kids. I would have felt bad if we were leaving kids stranded. Jeanne, Miles and I quickly followed Delos, but we stayed a few feet away as he strode up to the man. Delos looked him in the eye, and I could see that his golden eyes were persuasive and slightly threatening.

"You don't need your car anymore. You can give it to us." Delos said, his voice convincing. If I were in the man's spot, I would have given him the car right away.

"Yes, yes, of course. I don't need my car. You can have it. Take the keys." The man said, his eyes glassy and the pupils dilated.

Then he reached into his pocket and threw the keys to Delos. It was a bad throw, but of course Delos wasn't going to miss with his vampire reflexes. Deftly catching the keys, he said to the man, "Now you are going to walk into the building, and you are going to forget you ever did this. You are going to forget you owned this car. Now go."

The man turned and hurried off, and then Delos turned and tossed the keys to Miles.

"Let's go." He said.

Miles nodded and walked around to the driver side. Opening the door, he commented, "This was a good one to take. There's room for us, and it's not big and conspicuous."

He was right. It was a little dark blue Alero. Miles sat in the driver's seat, and Jeanne quickly claimed the passenger seat. Delos and I sat in the back, and I watched in amusement as Miles reminded himself what did what up front.

"As long as you know which one the gas pedal is, we're good." Jeanne smiled.

"And the brakes. Let's not forget the brakes." I told her.

She looked at me and scoffed, "Who needs _brakes_? If we have to stop, it's either because a car's in the way, or an animal's in the way, or there's a stop sign. If a car or animal are in the way, we can swerve and go around them. If there's a stop sign, well, what's it gonna do, bash you over the head if you don't stop?"

I stared at her. "Jeanne, you are most definitely _not ever _driving. I'll have Delos hold you down if you try it."

"Maybe he's on my side. Maybe I'll show him how to drive if he let's me try first." Jeanne cocked her head at Delos.

"Not a chance, Jeanne. If Maggie says you're not driving, you're not driving. And besides, I'm not blind. I can watch what Miles does and learn that way." Delos said, his eyes amused.

"Humph." Jeanne grumbled, turning back to the front.

Miles pulled out of the parking space and drove out of the lot and onto the road. Delos was watching what he did like a hawk. Miles got us out onto the highway before he passed the map to Jeanne and she opened it to figure out where we needed to go. She stared at it for about five minutes before shaking her head and shoving it at me.

"I don't do maps." She said simply before looking out her window.

I sighed and unfolded it to trace my finger along the highways until I figured out where we needed to go and which roads to take. Delos leaned over and looked blankly at the map.

_These are the highways, and that's a river, and these are the towns. See, here's Yakima, and here's Seattle, and here's Hannibal. So…the fastest way, I _think_, would be to take these roads._ I explained gently, pointing out all the roads.

He nodded and settled back into his seat, putting his hand over mine.

"Maggie, which way do I turn?" Miles asked as the road we were on made a T with another road.

"Uh, left." I said. "Miles, I think the first thing we should do is go to a clothes store and find some modern clothes. The less time we spend walking around like this, the better."

"Good point. There's a mall right on the south side of Seattle, I think. We can stop there." Miles announced.

The rest of the drive was uneventful, until Jeanne's stomach started growling. Not long after her, mine started growling as well.

"We need to stop for food, as well, I take it?" Miles grinned at Jeanne.

"Yes, please." Jeanne groaned, rubbing her stomach.

I glanced at Delos. As if reading my thoughts, he murmured to me, "I'm fine. I'm not thirsty."

"Hm." I gave him a suspicious look. "That's what you said last time."

"And I meant it last time, and I mean it now."

"You _were _thirsty last time!" I said indignantly.

"I was not. _You _cut your lip and made it impossible." Delos denied.

"Oh, sure." I rolled my eyes, but neither of us said anything else.

Miles turned into an A&W, and he ordered two burgers for himself and one each for Jeanne and I. The worker handed us our food, and we drove off. As soon as Miles had his window rolled back up, Delos said flatly, "That was a werewolf."

I stared at him. "Are you sure?"

He looked at me. "Of course I'm sure."

"He's right. I knew there was something about him." Miles said.

"And he's going to be wondering what a vampire and a shapeshifter are doing with two humans." Delos said.

"But what can he do?" I wondered.

"Nothing, really. It's just that if word gets to someone more important, like an Elder, the might recognize a description of me. And they'll know something is up if they find out I haven't killed all three of you." Delos explained.

"We'll just have to hope that they don't find out." Jeanne said, easily brushing it off.

I sighed and returned to my food. Nothing else happened until it got dark and Miles looked like he was going to pass out soon. I wasn't much better. My head was on Delos's shoulder, and he was slowly rubbing my back. My eyes felt heavy, and then I fell asleep.

**(A/N And for once I won't end it when she falls asleep.)**

When I woke up, I was lying down. I cracked open an eye and looked around. When I didn't recognize my surroundings, I shot up and looked around wildly.

"Relax, Maggie. We're at a hotel. Miles and Jeanne are in the room beside us." I heard Delos's voice in the darkness.

My eyes weren't adjusted yet, so I felt around for him. My fingers collided with something hard. His arm? I closed my fingers and decided that it was his arm.

"When did we get here? How did I get up here?" I asked.

"We pulled over into this hotel when Miles was going to collapse. He made it to the desk and checked us in and made it to his room, and then he crashed on the bed. I carried you up here." Delos explained.

"Okay. What time is it? How long have I been asleep?" I fired some more questions at him.

Then I waited while he rolled over and glanced at the clock. "It's 2:00 in the morning, so you've been asleep for seven hours. We're on the very edge of Seattle."

"Did I wake you up?" I wondered guiltily.

"No. Even if you did, I sure wouldn't care. I was awake, trying to figure out what the hell we're going to do if Circle Daybreak relocated somewhere else. And I didn't think of anything."

"We'll figure something out." I told him, dragging myself over to him and pressing my lips to his.

Ah, sweet heaven. Delos lifted his arms and placed them around my waist before pulling me down on top of him. That's when I happily discovered that he didn't have a shirt on. I deepened the kiss, and wrapped my arms around his neck, one hand in his black hair. Delos raised one hand off my waist to touch my cheek gently. I leaned my face into his palm, and his thumb caressed my cheekbone. Then I opened my eyes to look into his golden ones. They were soft and caring, and so tender my heart swelled just looking into them. Delos rolled over then, so he was pressing me into the bed. He laughed at my surprised expression, and then I pulled his head down to me. I swear my heart will never cease to beat twice as fast when he's kissing me. I think he heard it pick up with his vampire hearing, so he pulled his mouth away and laid an ear on my chest, just listening to it thump. I tangled my hand in his hair, playing with it while we lay there. Then he raised his face to look at me again.

"I love you." I murmured.

"I love you, Maggie." Delos whispered back.

Then he lifted himself off me and lay beside me. I rolled onto my side so I could rest my head on his bare chest, raising one hand to trace it while I listened to his heartbeat. I fell asleep listening to it. Thump, thump, thump…

**Okay, I lied, I did end when she fell asleep. But are you satisfied, or do you want more romance, Ayr? Who am I kidding, of course there'll be more!**

**Lol. Not much to say here this time.**

**Thanks to ILOVEYOUPAT for suggesting a song!**

***SanraitaFang* **


	5. Chapter 5

Shadow Sapphire Chapter Five

"Who knew a mall could be so hard to find?" Miles grumbled as we finally pulled into a parking space by the mall.

"Yeah, good thing we a have a falcon with us." Jeanne smiled at Miles.

We had circled around and around helplessly in Seattle, searching for the stupid mall. Finally we had stopped and Miles had flown up into the sky. When he came down, he knew where it was and how to get there.

We climbed out of the Alero, and then through the sliding doors to the inside of the mall. Delos's eyes were flashing everywhere, probably not understanding most of what he saw. I took his hand gently and then heard his voice in my head.

_And _this _is normal to you? _I knew he meant the mall. The crowds of people. The escalators, the various shops, the advertisements all over the place…everything.

_Yes, yes it is. _I thought slowly.

_What are those things? _I looked where his eyes were watching and realized he meant the escalators.

_Like moving stairs. You'll see, we'll probably have to use one. _

I got a sound of understanding from him, and then I glanced around at the people milling around us. Most were staring. Some looked disgusted. Some were smiling and laughing like they understood what we were doing. Not likely.

"Miles, let's get moving. We don't need a crowd." I murmured.

"Maggie, it's like we're celebrities." Jeanne muttered.

"Yeah, and the crowd is the paparazzi." I muttered back.

I looked around again and felt a feeling I didn't get often rise in my stomach. Possessiveness and anger. Well, the anger was not uncommon, but the other one was. And I was feeling it because I'd noticed who most of the people were staring at.

Delos.

I snuck a glance at him and instantly knew why. He was so handsome, and so…graceful, and so mysterious. Not to mention dangerous. He was almost _glaring _at the people around us. I guess I knew why, but I didn't like it. Before I came along and turned his life upside down, humans were food. _He _was used to staring at them amongst a crowd of other hungry vampires. And now the roles were switched, and he _hated _it. Not that he'd use a human for food anymore anyway, but I still understood. I gave his hand a tug and then started walking, expecting Miles and Jeanne to follow us. I marched straight to the escalator and walked up, weaving around everyone else on the stairs. The sooner we got into some normal clothes, the better. Once at the top, I looked around for a familiar store that had both guys and girls clothes.

"Bluenotes." I muttered, walking quickly inside.

"Miles, take Delos, quickly find something for both of you, buy it, change." I commanded.

Miles gave me a mock salute, and I reluctantly let go of Delos's hand and followed Jeanne over to the girl's side. And for a moment I felt like I was back to my life before Miles got in an 'accident' climbing with Sylvia, and before I got taken to Black Dawn. Back in my life where fashion was meaningless to me, and I wanted to grab the nearest shirt, pay, and bolt.

"Maggie, please. Calm down a bit. Hey, what do you think of this shirt?" Jeanne asked, holding up a black shirt with a dark purple design on the front.

"It's great, Jeanne." I said without much enthusiasm.

"Maggie." She warned. "If this is how you shop, I'm shopping _for _you."

That was fine by me. I trusted she could come up with something I'd like. So I pretty much just tagged along while she looked at shirt after shirt and jeans after jeans. Finally she declared she had something she liked for both of us, and I sighed with relief and looked up at the clock. That had to have been half an hour at least. My jaw dropped. It had been fifteen minutes. Jeanne tossed me two shirts and a pair of shorts and a pair of jeans.

"I figured we should have two outfits, in case we need to change for whatever reason." Jeanne shrugged.

"Okay, good thinking." I allowed.

We went over to the counter, and I cringed inwardly at the look the guy gave me. He was obviously thinking something along the lines of: What the hell? What kind of idiot people do I have here?

I was about to say something about us going to a costume party, except that really didn't make sense, because why would we be buying clothes if we were going to a costume party?

"We're having a scavenger hunt, and we had to dress like this on a dare." I told him quickly.

His face told me he didn't really believe me, but what did he care?

I placed our clothes on the counter and he rang it up.

"$40.87." he said.

Jeanne quickly handed him a fifty, and I raised an eyebrow. Where did she get money?

"Got some from Miles." She answered my unspoken question.

The guy handed Jeanne her change and then gave me the clothes, snickering a quick, "Have a good day."

Jeanne and I quickly went to the change rooms and quickly threw on our new clothes. I grabbed the shirt on the top of the pile, and smiled. It was a plain blue cami. Jeanne knew me. Then I put on the jeans, because it wasn't very warm out today. Then I walked out, and Jeanne came out about three seconds later. She was in a pair of dark blue jeans and the black shirt with the purple design that she had held up in the beginning. Quickly we walked back out to into the mall, and I looked around for Delos and Miles.

_On the bench to your left. _Delos's cool voice told me.

That's when I spotted Miles waving at us. And I knew why I hadn't seen them. I'd been looking for Delos, not really Miles. And my eyes had skimmed right over him. I couldn't stop the smile spreading across my face. He was still the same Delos that had put me in a cell and then been thrown in himself. He was still a vampire with blue fire. But now instead of looking like a lost prince, he looked like the handsomest teenaged boy you've ever seen. Black t-shirt and black pants, and he looked so uncomfortable that I started laughing.

_Yeah, yeah, very funny. I seem to recall how uncomfortable _you _were in a dress, Maggie. _

I stopped laughing and stuck my tongue out at him. He laughed. Miles and Delos rose, and then we were on our way again. Quickly we rode down the escalator again, gripping the bags holding our old clothes. Out the door, into the parking lot, into the car, onto the road. Miles was driving, of course, so I was in the back with Delos. I leaned my head on his shoulder, and he put his arm around my shoulders, absently looking out the window, eyes drinking in every detail.

Miles quickly got us onto the outskirts of the city, out of the main traffic areas. Soon we were speeding along a highway, the car silent. Everyone lost in their own thoughts.

This was it. We were heading to my home. My _old _home. Where my parents would be. Thinking their only two children were dead. How would they react? Would they freak out? Scream? Run away? Think they're having a nightmare? Or would they be stunned into speechlessness, think they're dreaming, not talk to us? Or would they immediately accept the idea that we were ghosts visiting them?

"Maggie, you're chewing your lip to shreds. Calm down a bit, will ya?" Jeanne told me.

I hadn't realized I was biting my lip. But now I could taste the coppery flavour of blood in my mouth. Great.

"Sorry, Jeanne. I'm just uptight. Worrying about my parents." I explained.

"That makes two of us." Miles commented.

***

Snap!

I hissed at Jeanne to be quiet. She'd stepped on yet another twig. She had twig radar, I swear. Except she didn't try avoiding them. She all but _stomped _on them. Unlike Delos. The only thing that ascertained he was beside me was his hand in mine, and the silver cord humming away happily like it did whenever we were close.

We were tromping around the side of the house towards the back, where there was a tree right beside my old room's window. But on each side of the house, there was thick forest. Easy for Delos and Miles, because they weren't human. Easy-ish for me because I'd spent hours out here. Not at all easy for Jeanne, because she didn't know the territory at all. It was 11:00, when Mom and Dad usually went to bed after watching TV for a while. Miles and I would scale the tree into my room, go to our parents, do and say whatever we planned to. While we were inside, Delos and Jeanne would be outside, listening intently to make sure everything was all right. Make sure no one tried kidnapping us. Finally, finally, we arrived under my window.

Delos leaned forward and gave me kiss quickly, and then faded into the shadows, giving a gesture for us to proceed. Jeanne followed him, effectively crouching in the shadows. I sighed and then turned to Miles. He looked back at me evenly, and his expression was enough for me to find out that he was as anxious and excited as me. We'd already changed into our 'ghost duds', as Jeanne had called them.

And I must say, we did look like ghosts. Maybe not to the objective eye that knew it was just a costume, but to our parents, who thought we were dead, _ghosts _would be the only explanation. My white dress was simple and hugged my body, and Jeanne had furiously brushed my hair so it looked like silk. Miles had a white shirt and white pants, and his hair was combed as neatly as mine.

I glanced up at the sky. The moon was glowing brightly, but a cloud was sneaking up on it, and I knew it would be covered soon. I took a deep breath and looked back to Miles. Then at the tree. It wasn't a difficult tree to climb, and I'd done it many times before when I lost my house key. But in a tight dress…Suddenly Delos was out of the bush, leaping easily up onto the lowest branch, and climbing higher. Then he hooked his leg on a branch and leaned down so he was completely upside down. I couldn't resist, I giggled. Not because he looked funny; he didn't, he was as formidable as ever. But because his position resembled a bat, and he was vampire. It was ironic. Or maybe I was just hysterical with nerves. But anyway, Delos reached down an arm. I grabbed his hand, and he swung me up onto the branch beside him, and I nodded my thanks before climbing through my window as quietly as I could. Delos leaped down, and Miles 'shifted and flew up into the room beside me. We shared one long look, and then set off for Mom and Dad's room. Even in the darkness, I had no trouble finding their room. I had a map of this place burnt into my memory. I pressed my ear to their door, and heard the telltale click of the remote, and the TV shut off. Bed springs creaked, and blankets rustled as they settled down. I had to press a hand to my mouth, _hard_, to make sure I didn't make a sound. Miles swallowed and then reached for the doorknob. Then determination took over his face, and he firmly twisted the knob and opened the door. Our parents froze, staring at us.

It was so good to see them.

That was what I thought at first. In the seconds after first seeing them, I thought differently. There were lines etched in their faces, like they'd gotten inexplicably older and weaker since Miles and I disappeared out of their lives. Mom's eyes were full of grief, and Dad was deadpan, a robot.

And that was _before _they registered who was standing in the doorway of their bedroom.

**Hope you liked it! **

**Next chapter will be longer. I cut this off so I could post it and end my streak of procrastination.**

***SanraitaFang***


	6. Chapter 6

No cliffy this time, I promise. At least I do now. Things might change when I actually end this chapter…

**Shadow Sapphire 6**

Maggie POV

And before _I _realized who _else _was there. The reason the movements in the bed had seemed so sudden. The TV clicked off abruptly. Something hitting the ground, and a muffled sound, much like a shriek.

I'd dismissed it as my imagination. And now I wanted to kick myself.

Because there was someone else there. Someone dangerous. And he had one hand over Mom's mouth, and the other pinning her wrists. Dad's limp body hit the floor. Unconscious. Knocked out with a surge of power.

And the intruder's mouth was on Mom's neck. Biting her. Drinking her blood.

There was a vampire in the bedroom. He lifted his head, and I sucked in a breath. He looked evil. His eyes were black, his hair dark, dark brown. Mouth twisted into a smirk, and blood dripping down his chin.

"Ah, more dinner." He smirked again. Then he frowned as he scrutinized Miles. "No. You're no human, shapeshifter. Who are you? Why are you with a human?"

Then his eyes narrowed and he glanced down at Mom's face, which was twisted in pure fright. When he looked up, he said, "I can see the similarities. But why is one a shapeshifter and one a human? And why is there another human outside, and a vampire about to throw himself through the window and tackle me?"

Silence. And then Delos slid soundlessly through the window, standing angrily on the other side of the room from Miles and I. His arms were at his sides, fists clenched. And his face was transformed from expressionless to an angry tidal wave of insane rage. His black eyes were hard and cruel, looking like chips of obsidian. His cheekbones looked more defined, like they always did when his fangs came out. His mouth was open; long, sharp, deadly fangs bared.

I felt for the poor vampire holding my mother to the bed. He did not know what he just got himself into.

_Get out of here. Run. I'll find you later. _Delos's voice, contorted with anger, broke into my head.

_Hell no. I'm not leaving you. _I retorted.

_Fine. _He said curtly.

"Delos Redfern. Never thought I'd be the one to turn you in, but looks like I was wrong. You do know that the whole Night World is on the look out for you, right? One of the cruellest vampires in history kills Hunter Redfern and then runs away with his _human _soulmate. Oh, yes, its front page news, figuratively speaking."

I could tell that Delos was interested with that. This vamp knew who he was. The Night World wanted him. The whole Night World knew about what happened with Hunter.

And the whole Night World knew about me.

And for the third time in my life, I got to see Delos use his blue fire. He lifted his arm, and electricity crackled down his arm in little waves, before exploding out of his hand and shooting in a deadly torrent straight at the vampire holding Mom. When the blue fire stopped, all that was left of him was a puff of smoke.

The anger left Delos slowly, his face returning to normal and his fangs retracting. I ran to Mom, inspecting the damage done to her throat. The blood had stopped flowing, and the two little red dots were turning pink, barely noticeable. Her eyes were fearfully locked on Delos, watching his every move and cringing and whimpering when he came over to us.

He looked into her eyes, and when he spoke, his voice was persuasive and compelling. He was erasing her memory.

"You don't remember any of this. At all. The very last thing you remember is watching TV, and then you fell asleep." Delos told her firmly.

"I don't remember any of this. The last thing I remember is watching TV, and then falling asleep." She repeated.

He left her, satisfied, and turned to my father. I felt him let out a surge of power, and then Dad stirred and opened his eyes. When I looked back at Delos, he was gone. Out the window.

Mom clapped a hand over her mouth and stared at us. Dad froze and looked like he might have a stroke. Mom's mouth began moving, forming words but not sounds. When she found her voice, all that came out was a squeak.

I decided to speak.

"Hello, Mom and Dad." I said softly.

"Hey, Mom. Hey, Dad." Miles grinned impishly.

"_What?" _Dad exclaimed.

I could practically read his thoughts by the expressions going across his face. And he had come to the ghost conclusion.

"Are you…are you ghosts?" Mom stammered.

Apparently she had, too.

"Yup." Miles told her. "We just dropped by to say hi, and tell you that we're okay. You don't need to worry about us. We're happy where we are."

They stared at him. Then at me.

"It's true. We're fine. We're happy. We're together. Nothing to worry about. Nothing to _grieve _about." I ended sharply, seeing the tears in Mom's eyes.

"But-but what happened? How'd you…" Mom gestured furtively.

I waved a hand dismissively. "It doesn't matter. You don't need to know. All you need to know is that we're fine. But we have to go. Goodbye, Mom. Goodbye, Dad."

Miles waved. Then we turned to the door and swiftly left the room, sprinting down the hall and then throwing ourselves out the window. I could hear Dad's yelling for us to wait, and his footsteps searching for us in the house. Miles shifted to a falcon before he hit the ground, and of course Delos sped out of the bush, caught me, and dashed back to the trees, setting me down quickly and looking at my face intently.

Looking for signs of tears, anxiety, hurt, depression, sadness, grief, anger…but he didn't find any, because that would come later. When I was free to lose it in private. Well, private from Miles and Jeanne. I was never really alone. Delos was _always _there. Suddenly Delos looked at the house sharply, and then grabbed me and started running for the car, Jeanne following, bewildered, and Miles screeching overhead. Delos reached the car and swiftly put me in and sat beside me, and Jeanne followed suit in the front seat. Miles quickly dove from the sky and leaped into the driver's side, revving the car and driving off as fast as he could.

_What's the rush?! _I asked indignantly, hating not knowing what was going on.

_It's not good to stay outside in one place too long. There are Night People here, you know. I don't want to take any chances that one will sense us and come to meet us. And ask unnecessary questions about you and Jeanne. _Delos answered smoothly.

And I was almost convinced. His reasoning was true, he probably _did _worry about that. But that didn't really explain the _suddenness _of the race to the car. And I knew the real reason, I just didn't want to accept it.

Delos and Miles had heard something that had tipped them off to what was coming. Delos had grabbed me and sprinted. Obviously that meant he wanted me _out _of there before whatever it was started. And Miles looked shaken. Which meant I knew exactly what they'd heard, and why they'd hurried.

They'd wanted to get me out of there before it started.

The screaming.

Delos POV

I knew Maggie and Jeanne couldn't hear it, but Miles and I still could. The house was just a dot in the distance, but both if us could hear the ear-splitting, grief-filled shriek of Maggie's mother. Miles was gritting his teeth, and his knuckles were going white. Jeanne looked at him curiously, probably wondering what the problem was. Maggie noticed too, her eyes narrowing in concern for her brother.

_She's still screaming, then? _Maggie's sweet, warm voice said in my head.

I glanced at her, wondering how she figured it out. Would she ever cease to amaze me?

_I can be clever sometimes, Delos. It didn't take a genius. _Maggie told me.

_Well, yes, your mother is a little shaken… _I said to her mentally.

_A little_. She repeated skeptically.

_All right, more than a little._

_I'll say._

She looked more than a little shaken, too. To me, at least. I was probably the only person on the planet who could read her so easily. When I wasn't distracted by how absolutely perfect and beautiful and kind and warm she is…

I put my arms around her body, and she leaned into my chest, her breathing slow and regular. She was tired, too, I could tell.

_Sleep, Maggie_. I said softly in her mind.

_I love you, Delos…_she answered sleepily.

_I love you, Maggie_. I replied, hugging her tightly to my body.

Two hours later, at 1:00 am, we pulled into the parking lot of a hotel in 'Ellensburg'. Maggie was still asleep, as was Jeanne in the front seat. Miles looked worn out, and I admit that I was getting tired, too. Miles parked the car, and I opened my door and then reached back in to get Maggie. I held her in my arms and waited for Miles to walk around and pick up Jeanne, and then we walked into the lobby of the hotel, doing our best to look as if it was totally normal to be carrying to girls around at 1:00 in the morning. The woman at the counter looked rather suspicious, but she granted Miles's request of two rooms with a double bed each without saying anything. She handed him the card keys, and we walked away from her. I started heading for the stairs, because our rooms were on the second floor. But Miles suddenly turned and started walking to a sheet of metal in the wall, with a crack down the front.

What the heck were those? They weren't very attractive décor…

"Miles, what are you doing?" I hissed, not wanting to wake Maggie.

"Going to the eleva- Oh." He grinned. "Come over here and watch this."

I raised an eyebrow but did as he said, realizing that this must be some weird twenty-first century thing. He pressed a button on the wall that was in the shape of a triangle pointing upwards, and then he stood there doing nothing. I started to get impatient.

"Miles-"

"Wait." He interrupted.

In the silence, I could hear something. It sounded almost like an object falling downwards…I instinctively wanted to step away from the sound, but I trusted Miles.

And then the sheet of metal in the wall slid open. It split from the crack in the middle and opened, just like that, to reveal a room with a bar on the wall. All right, I was lost.

Miles grinned at my confusion and stepped into the room, motioning me to follow him. I did, and then the doors slid shut. I felt a bit of anxiety rising in my chest; I had never liked small, enclosed spaces. Hated them, really. Miles pressed another button on the wall; this one had a '2' on it. Then I felt the small room begin to move upwards, and I figured it out. It was some kind of mechanism to get from floor to floor in a building, because apparently it was too much energy and exertion to walk up the stairs. It probably operated on some kind of pulley.

"It's called an elevator, in case you were wondering." Miles told me impishly.

***

Maggie POV

I was asleep. And I was dreaming. That was the only explanation. But I didn't think I'd had a nightmare since I was a little kid. This nightmare kept flipping from different things, but it was terrifying me. First my mind showed me that vampire biting Mom. But this time Miles and I did not open the door, and Delos did not jump through the window. I saw Mom stop struggling, and the vampire keep drinking.

Then it showed Hunter Redfern and Delos. They were arguing about something. Delos was furious. So was Hunter. Then Hunter hissed something and attacked Delos. The ensuing fight was bloody and vicious, to the point where I was sure both vampires must be scarred beyond recognition. Hunter slashed at Delos's throat with his razor-sharp nails, and I screamed. But of course Delos's throat healed almost immediately. Delos snarled and punched Hunter, and I heard a crack coming from where Delos's fist connected with Hunter's jaw. Hunter growled, and then reached behind him. Then he raised his hand above his head, and I was horrified to see he was holding a wooden stake. Hunter's arm swung through the air, and I heard the sickening sound of skin and muscle being sliced apart, and I saw blood spurt into the air and gush down Delos's chest. I screamed again, louder and more terrified than before. DelosDelosDelosDelos….Hunter looked up, directly at the dream-me, and there was blood on his face. Delos's blood. It dripped down his chin, staining his skin red. His eyes were maniacal, furious, insane.

That image was forever ingrained in mind.

But then I was whisked away to another clip in this horrible string of a nightmare. I was running. Sprinting as fast as I could. I was terrified. Something was chasing me. No, something_s_ were chasing me. Branches and twigs and brambles were tearing at my face, leaving bloody scratches on my cheeks. Thorns embedded themselves in my palms and clothes. Roots and small bushes kept tripping me, until I finally stumbled and fell flat in a small clearing. Behind me, I heard a hiss and a growl. Desperately I flipped onto my back, on my elbows, trying to scramble away.

There were two vampires standing there, hissing. Their eyes were blood red, and their fangs were bared. One took a step towards me, and a shriek broke out of my throat. It snarled, and then leaped at me, knocking me flat on my back. I felt its fangs rip through my skin and flesh underneath. And then _pain_. I screamed and screamed, but all I got was more blinding, incapacitating _pain_.

Then the vampires and the clearing was gone, and most of all, the pain, and all I could see was a cement slab sticking out of the ground. A gravestone. I refused to read what it said, I didn't want to know-

But apparently I didn't control my own body, because I couldn't look away. Helplessly my eyes took in the words, and my brain told me what it meant.

Mrs. Neely

Then it showed me another one.

Mr. Neely

And another.

Jeanne McCartney

A fourth.

Miles Neely

By now, I expected what was coming and desperately tried to wake myself up. I didn't think I could take it-

Maggie Neely

The last one was the worst one, and I knew exactly what it would say. But I couldn't bear to look at it. I tried to close my eyes, to wake up, to scream, to do something-nonononononononononono….

Delos Redfern

I woke up screaming. I shot up into a sitting position, gasping for breath and trying to hold in pitiful little whimpers.

"Maggie! Are you okay? Are you hurt? _Maggie!_" Delos asked frantically.

I didn't have the breath or voice to answer him. Instead I just fell back into the pillows and tried to stop my heaving chest, slow my breathing, and gain control over the weak little whimpers escaping my mouth.

"Maggie, say something!" Delos ordered.

"B-bad d-dream." I whispered pathetically.

I felt his arms wrap around me, and he pulled me close to him, stroking my hair and whispering into my ear.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" he asked.

I shook my head, but told him anyway, "Hunter…Hunter killed you. You were fighting with him, and then he _staked _you…And it showed me your grave…I was so scared…"

"Maggie, it's okay, I'm fine, I'm right here. Do I look staked to you?"

I looked up at his handsome face, and said sincerely, "No. Not at all."

Delos rested his cheek on my hair, sighing. Before he could lift his head, I turned my face up and caught his unsuspecting lips with mine. His lips were so soft and warm…I wanted to stay like this forever. But as we continued to kiss, my neck started to get sore, so I pushed him onto his back, his arms pulling me on top of him.

Now that's better.

"I love you so much, Maggie." Delos whispered against my lips.

"I love you, Delos."

Then we were kissing again.

So sweet. Lol. This chapter wasn't very long, either, but I started to procrastinate again. *readers roll eyes and say, 'No, really?'*

***SanraitaFang***


	7. Chapter 7

**Oh my god you guys, I am so sorry I haven't updated in so long! But I'll stop talking and let you read!**

**Chapter seven**

Delos POV

Maggie was curled up in her seat beside me, her feet tucked underneath her and her head on my leg. She was sleeping. Again. Mortals had to rest so often compared to my kind. Not that I minded; I loved to watch Maggie sleep. It was the only time she was truly peaceful. Her face was calm, all the muscles relaxed. Her mouth looked soft and warm and inviting. She looked pure and blissful. A pity I only got to see it when she was either sleeping, or the odd time she was in my arms and looked up at me. I was stroking her hair when her eyes fluttered open, and she glanced up at me.

"Where are we?" Maggie asked sleepily.

I didn't have to do much decoding to figure out that one. As I looked up, a sign flew by, saying, _Welcome to Pine Ridge! _

"Pine Ridge." I answered.

"Pine Ridge? Where the hell is Pine Ridge?"

I shrugged. I didn't have the faintest idea. "In Montana?"

"We would hope so."

Jeanne turned around, holding a map in her hands like it was a live viper. As she looked reproachfully at it, she said, "Well, I think this retarded little piece of coloured paper says that Pine Ridge is in Montana."

No one had a response to that, because at that moment Delos swore and threw himself at me, covering me with his body. Miles slammed on the brakes, but it was no use, because the huge, and I mean _huge _black shape hurtled towards us anyway, slamming into our car.

The car flew to the side, and I hit my head hard on my door. I felt something warm spread across my hair, and then everything went black.

The last thing I saw was Delos' face, staring at something in horror.

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was the sky. I saw that for about 0.24 seconds, and then I heard a sound that made me flinch, and another object blotted out my view of the sky.

The sound I'd heard was a gun cocking, and the object I was staring at was the barrel of the gun. I had no time to do anything before the man with the gun had me pinned down.

"Delos Redfern killed Hunter and ran away for _you_, huh? A little red-head. Most of us still can't believe it. The rest of us, though, we took action. We knew you'd run to Circle Daybreak. Finally that werewolf in Seattle saw you, and reported. Finally we found you four, and now we're going to kill all of you." The vampire explained matter-of-factly.

"_Maggie!_" Delos yelled.

Desperately I turned my head, searching for him. Finally I saw him, held by at least seven other vampires, who were carefully pinning his arms to his side so he couldn't blast them.

"_Delos_!" I screamed back.

"Well now, we can't let you two have your reunion yet. We're saving that for the afterlife." The vampires holding me snarled, pulling back his gun and then bringing it forward, whacking me in the forehead with it.

For the second time I passed out.

_Scritch. Scratch. Scrape. Screeee. _

Those were the first sounds I heard when my mind awakened later. Personally, I liked the blissful silence of sleep better. But that was before I remembered what had happened. I sat up so fast I made myself dizzy, and then didn't help it by swinging my head around wildly, looking for Delos.

"Maggie!"

Well, I didn't find him, but he found me, pulling me tight to his body, arms warm and comforting. But the horrible scraping sound continued.

"Stand back, Miles." Delos said calmly, turning to the wall.

_The wall_. We were in a little cell, about three meters square. The wall was solidly built of bricks, and there was no window, only a small, barred door. Delos strode to the wall and pulled his fist back. At first I thought he was going to punch the wall in anger, and was going to stop him in case he hurt himself. But then he smashed straight through, his hand disappearing into the wall.

"Nice job, vampire." I heard Miles' voice carry through the little hole Delos had made.

Well, if he could punch through the wall that easy, why couldn't he just punch his way out of here?

Wouldn't work. Trust me, I tried. Miles has been pounding away on that brick for hours, scraping at the edges, trying to pull it out so we could talk. Delos said in my mind.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Hell." Miles answered, and even though I couldn't see him, I knew he'd be frowning.

"Feeling observant, are you, Miles?" Jeanne's voice said sarcastically.

"Seriously, where are we?"

"We don't know. Some little hell-hole my great-great aunts have for criminals like us." Delos said bitterly.

"Your what?" Apparently I was out of the loop.

"The remaining two of Hunter's four daughters." Delos answered. "Garnet, and Roseclear."

"That's Aunt Roseclear to you, nephew." A very unfriendly female voice snapped, presumably Roseclear.

Delos turned a vicious look on the two vampires (vampiresses?) They stood in the doorway of our cell, looking in at us through the bars. "That's Prince to you."

"Oh, don't look that like that, Prince Delos. We're only worried about your safety." The second of the two sisters cackled.

"Go to hell, Garnet."

Roseclear tsked and said calmly, "Now, now, that's not very princely of you, is it?"

"Why don't you get to the point?" Delos snapped.

"The point of a stake?" Garnet cackled again, voice high-pitched, and for a moment I wondered if they were both high on crack.

"But, Garnet, deary, we're not killing him, remember? We're saving him from this human slut and giving him his mind back, which he has clearly lost, and then maybe we'll keep him around…for our own means…" Roseclear then shimmied her hips in a very terrifying way, making it clear what she meant.

Delos looked completely horrified. Kill me now! He said in my head.

I didn't blame him.

"Why don't you just do your evil laugh and then tell us what you plan so we can hurry up and get out of here?" I asked, trying my damnedest to not let my voice shake.

"Oh, Garnet, look! Isn't she just so pretty?" Roseclear giggled viciously. "I wonder how she'd look with blood flowing from her throat."

"Shut the hell up!" Delos snarled, rocketing to his feet and charging the bars of the cell, his face barely two inches from hers, separated only by the bars. His fangs were out, I could see them glinting.

Roseclear, to her credit, held her ground. But she did shut up, and her eyes widened ever so slightly.

"Roseclear, dear, I do think it's about time we began with step one." Garnet then stepped completely within view—up until then the left part of her body had been hidden.

Jeanne's throat was held tightly in her grasp. I took in a sharp breath, and Delos snarled in anger.

"We are going to open this door. The girl is going to come out and come with us. You are not going to move. If you do, this one dies." Garnet shook Jeanne none too gently.

They waited a second or two, looking at us sternly, and then slid the door open. There was nothing I could do; I had to go with them, or risk Jeanne getting killed. I walked forward, head held high, as dignified as I could make myself.

As soon as I was within reach, Roseclear grabbed my arm painfully, nails digging sharply into my skin as she yanked me cruelly forward. Delos gave a furious roar at this, and took an experimental step forward.

Garnet gave him a warning glare and tightened her hand, nails drawing red crescent moons on Jeanne's skin as Jeanne herself choked out a painful gasp. Miles, who had been silent until this point, snarled angrily at Delos to stop.

"You should say good bye to your prince, darling. Because next time you see him, he's going to kill you!" Roseclear snickered, glancing viciously between us. "And sweet princeling in there, you should say au revoir to this one, because next time you see her you're going to kill her! Oh, won't it be fun!"

She was a literal hag from hell, I'm sure of it. And she was insane, too. Delos would never kill me. I knew he was echoing my thoughts, because he looked at his great great aunt like she had grown a third head.

"Oh, dearies!" Garnet cackled. This woman did a lot of cackling. "So naïve! Obviously you won't kill her voluntarily, but after four days of, shall we say, deprived separation, things may be slightly different."

Realization dawned on me—hell with that. Realization exploded on me like a bomb. If they didn't let Delos have any blood, at all, for the next four days, he would be so thirsty by the time they let us see each other again that…

He'd kill me.

And he wouldn't have a sliver of a choice in the matter.

**Wow. I cannot believe it has been a year since I updated. Haha, you guys must hate me. I suppose my only excuse is that my life has changed so much in the last year that it's crazy—And believe me when I say I'm stupidly busy now.**

**I don't entirely know where I'm going with this, so if you have any ideas you'd like to see in this story, definitely mention it to me and I'll see what I can do!**

***SanraitaFang***


	8. Chapter 8

**Well. Oh my. **

**Yes, I'm alive. I can't believe I'm actually writing this story again...but I have the sudden insane need to finish it. So, all your waiting is being rewarded.**

Shadow Sapphire Chapter Eight

Maggie POV

I sincerely _hate_ cells. Well, who wouldn't, I guess, but _honestly_. First Delos threw me in one when I made him angry, then Roseclear and Garnet threw us all in one, and now I'm being thrown in a third. Alone.

For the first while, I had simply sat and stared at the wall, my mind whirling around and around what had just happened. They would starve Delos, then sic him on me, and he wouldn't be able to stop himself from drinking from and ultimately killing me. I'd gone through all the possibilities, but I could not see a way out.

He wouldn't be able to take a little bit of my blood and then let me go. He'd be too overcome by thirst for that.

I wouldn't be able to fight him off-hell, not if I spent three years in a gym.

Therefore, the solution had to come before Delos' crazy relatives released the kraken, so to speak. I had to escape.

And there, the plan hit a wall. Escape, and then what? Break Delos out? How? And I could only risk breaking him out if I escaped my own cell soon enough, before he got crazy with thirst. Or, I could break Jeanne and Miles out. And once again, how?

Then, I tried to think outside the box. I could escape, and go to Circle Daybreak...somehow getting there alive and before Roseclear and Garnet did anything terrible to Miles, Jeanne, or Delos.

Soon I got sick of the circular motion of my thoughts and stood up to investigate the cell. Besides, escape was fruitless if there was no way out.

I stalked up to one wall, running my fingers across the stone, scraping the mortar with my nails, searching for a weak spot. I finish the first wall, move on to the second and third, and find nothing. I take a step back from the wall, frustration circling up inside me like a wild beast. I let out a strangled growl and kick the wall as hard as I can.

Of course, the wall takes no notice of this. My foot, on the other hand, sends a shock of reverberation up my leg, making me clench my jaw and let out a furious 'ow'. For a moment I just stand there, fists clenched, jaw tight, eyes narrowed, letting the rage sweep up through my body, setting fire to my veins and whirling in my mind.

Two months ago, I would have been terrified to be where I am now. But now, I'm different. I'm stronger. I discovered the Night World, I fell in love with a notoriously evil vampire, I survived the wrath of an even more evil vampire, I said goodbye to my former life and my parents, and I've watched people die.

I am not the helpless human these bitchy vampires take me to be.

What right do Roseclear and Garnet, two vengeful, insipid women, have to decide that I should die? To make Delos kill his own soul mate? After all we'd been through, after all I'd given up and all he'd risked, they would tear us apart? No. No, they would not. I would not let them.

Even if it came to the day they released Delos on me, I would not run. I would not even fight him. I'd prove to those two bitches that they would never have the power to destroy our love.

I move to the bars of the cell, wrap my hands around two bars, and glare out at the hallway. I tap my nails against the metal and fume.

Despite my anger, I could still feel the fear wriggling inside me.

Delos POV

"I'll kill you both," I snarl.

Roseclear laughs at me, but I know she can hear the complete sincerity and simmering rage in my voice.

"Come now, nephew, you should thank us! Giving your life and honour away for a stupid human-what rubbish!" Garnet scoffed.

I let my eyes narrow, and I know my irises are glowing yellow. My fangs slip out, and I know exactly how intimidating I look, caged or not. "You do not understand what you have done. You have separated a very powerful vampire from his soul mate, the one person he would do absolutely anything for. When these bars no longer separate us-and you know they not always will-you should treasure each breath you take."

"If you are so all powerful, princeling, then why don't you kill us right now? Use that blue fire of yours that everyone is so taken with," Roseclear challenges. Her tone is simpering, but her eyes tell me she hears truth in my words and I've shaken her.

I glare at them both, because I want nothing more than to incinerate them both. But I cannot, because if I do I will never get out of this blasted cell and Maggie will wither away wherever they've stashed her. I must wait for an opportunity to escape the cell before I kill both Roseclear and Garnet.

**Whew. :)**


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